Singapore Government Media Release
Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,
140 Hill Street #02-02 MITA Building, Singapore 179369.
Tel: 837 9666

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Dr Mary Ann Tsao, President, Tsao Foundation

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

This morning, we will witness two initiatives that will contribute towards our national efforts to address the challenges of an ageing population. One, the launch of the Hua Mei Training Centre on Ageing, and two, the Tsao Foundation�s new website on ageing issues.

2 As Singapore matures and develops as a society, one of the main challenges we will face is a rapidly ageing society. We are not unique in this regard. Many developed countries like Japan and in Europe are facing similar challenges. In 1998, the Government set up the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on the Ageing Population, to chart broad policy directions and to lead a coordinated national effort to address the complex issues involved. The committee has developed recommendations in six broad areas, namely the social integration of the elderly, healthcare, financial security, employment and employability, housing and land use, and inter-generational cohesion.

3 I am happy to note that the work of the IMC is bearing fruit. Various agencies have taken up the recommendations and made good progress in implementing them. Over the past year, we have seen measures being put in place to help Singaporeans plan for financial security in old age.

4 The Ministry of Finance introduced the supplementary retirement scheme to allow individuals to make tax exempted voluntary contributions to their CPF account. With effect from 1 Jan this year, the CPF Board has stepped up the contribution rate for the Special Account, as the CPF member grows older.

It also allows CPF members below age 55 to invest their Special Account funds in appropriate retirement-related financial instruments, so as to achieve higher rates of returns on their savings. CPF members can also invest all their Ordinary Account savings in professionally managed products.

5 In the area of healthcare, the Ministry of Health set up the Eldercare Fund last year to help defray the cost of long term care for the elderly. It has also revised its subsidy policies for nursing homes to ensure that long term care continues to remain affordable.

6 The Ministry of Community Development and Sports recently unveiled a 5 year masterplan for eldercare which includes the setting up of Multi-Service Centres as part of the infrastructure needed to build an integrated network of services within our communities.

7 Efforts are also being made to make our homes and environment more elderly friendly. We have revised the HDB Act to allow lift landings to be built on every floor of HDB blocks that do not have common corridors. HDB is developing studio apartments in six locations throughout the island. It has also introduced the �White block� concept in Punggol Town. These flats provide the flat owners with the flexibility to modify their flat layout to meet their changing needs as they age. We are also upgrading selected 1 room rental flats to improve the living conditions of the elderly tenants, installing features such as non-slip tiles, hand bars and alert alarm systems.

8 These are important and significant steps to ensure successful ageing in Singapore. Ministries and Government agencies have responded positively to the IMC recommendations. More can and will be done as the issue grows larger and more complex. However, our policies must be pragmatic and sustainable, not just for the short term, but also for the long term.

9 Government alone cannot provide all the solutions to the problems of an ageing society. It has to be the shared responsibility of the individual, the family, the community and the government. The government�s role is to put in place the necessary policy framework and infrastructure to enable Singaporeans to age successfully. The individual must play his or her part by planning and taking action early. Singaporeans have a personal responsibility to prepare for our old age.

We must learn how to keep ourselves fit and healthy, to invest our money appropriately to build up our finances, to prepare for medical contingencies and to upgrade ourselves to remain employable and active in the community.

10 We also need to ensure a good balance in the allocation of resources between the young and the old. Each generation of Singaporeans should plan, and be prepared to sustain itself, whilst at the same time, seek to save something for the next generation of Singaporeans.

11 This is why we did not adopt a system where the younger generation pays increasingly higher taxes to support a broadening base of elderly persons. The experience of other countries has shown that this is not sustainable in a rapidly ageing population. Instead, we have adopted a system, where every individual puts aside a sum of money each month, whether in CPF or private instruments, as a nest-egg for the golden years. It is a system that emphasises personal responsibility. If we continually dip into our reserves to pay for old-age costs, we will only deplete our children�s piggy-bank, and mortgage their future.

12 Our policies and initiatives on the elderly must also make use of the strengths of the private and people sectors. That is why initiatives by organisations such as Tsao Foundation, the Community Development Councils and other Voluntary Welfare Organisations deserve our fullest support. Take for example manpower development for the eldercare industry. This has been identified by the IMC as one of the key factors that will determine the quality of our eldercare services. Good progress is being made to grow this pool of trained personnel. For example, the Ministry of Health has collaborated with the Tsao Foundation and the Nanyang Polytechnic to train a pool of nurse volunteers, who in turn conduct training workshops on elderly home care at the community level. Changi General Hospital (CGH) together with Northeast CDC has developed a home care programme called the Skill For Life, to help residents living in the east cope with post-hospitalization care.

13 There is scope for us to do more. The setting up of Hua Mei Training Centre will widen the pool of trained manpower who have the necessary expertise and skills to strengthen our services for the elderly. The centre will run programmes to support community services by training trainers for the eldercare industry.

Your efforts will help raise the quality and standard of eldercare services in Singapore.

14 As our society ages and becomes more educated, there will be a greater demand for information and resources related to older people, be it in the area of health, recreation, or finance. Furthermore, as we expand our range of services for elderly Singaporeans, we must also ensure that information and services are easily accessible to potential end users. In this respect, the launch of the Tsao Foundation�s website today is timely and relevant. I understand that it aims to build the website into a portal for aged care and ageing issues in Singapore and the region.

15 I wish the Tsao Foundation all the best in the development of both the Hua Mei Training Centre on Ageing and its website. I now officially launch the opening of Hua Mei Training Centre.

16 Thank you.

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